Costa leads House measure to revise population limits for rural federal aid

A new measure introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Costa seeks to revise federal program eligibility for rural communities by amending population threshold requirements, as noted by the U.S. Congress.

Designated as H.R.7609, the legislation was brought forth on Feb. 20, 2026, during the 119th Congress’s regular session. Our summary below details the main provisions, based on the full bill document, and provides clarification of its intent where appropriate.

This proposal aims to standardize and raise population caps for determining rural community status under several Department of Agriculture and related federal programs. Specifically, it moves the population limit from 20,000 to 25,000 for various initiatives, including broadband, telemedicine, distance learning, telephone infrastructure loans, and emergency water assistance grants. The bill also revises population determinations to exclude certain groups, such as residents of military installations, and strengthens provisions for expanding rural development support to U.S. territories. It calls for the Secretary of Agriculture to annually review and update these thresholds to reflect demographic changes. However, the bill does not specify when these adjustments would take effect.

The bill’s sponsors include Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-21st), with support from Rep. Eric A. “Rick” Crawford (R-CA-1st), Rep. Josh Riley (D-CA-19th), and Rep. David G. Valadao (R-CA-22nd).

Rep. Costa has introduced 22 additional bills in the current legislative session.

Congressional bills can be proposed in either the House or Senate, with revenue-related bills required to originate in the House. After introduction, bills enter committee review processes that include hearings, potential amendments, and debate before reaching full chamber votes. If both chambers approve the same version, it is sent to the president for approval or veto. Each Congress lasts two years, numbered consecutively, and is split into two sessions. Official bill records and the legislative process are managed by the U.S. Congress and published via Congress.gov.

Jim Costa, currently representing California, has served in the U.S. House since January 3, 2005, after previous roles in the state assembly from 1978 to 1994 and the state senate from 1994 to 2002.

Costa earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno in 1974 and attended San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno.

Information in this article was sourced from the U.S. Congress. Original data is available here.